The final regular-season AP Women’s Basketball Rankings are out, and the stakes couldn’t be higher as we head into the madness of the tournament. With UConn clinching the unanimous top spot, the poll serves as a definitive roadmap for who has the momentum to cut down the nets in April.
Key Takeaways
- Unbeatable Huskies: UConn (34-0) finishes the regular season as the unanimous No. 1, seeking their 13th national title and first repeat since 2016.
- Conference Power: The SEC leads the nation with eight teams in the Top 25, followed closely by the Big Ten with seven.
- Historic Consistency: According to The Associated Press, the team ranked No. 1 heading into the tournament has won the championship 17 times in the last 43 years.
What does this mean for the tournament bracket?
Our analysis suggests that the AP voters and the selection committee are in rare, total lockstep this year. The top four teams in the poll—UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina—perfectly mirror the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA bracket.
AP Women’s Basketball Rankings you’ve been following women’s hoops this season, the dominance of the Big Ten and SEC won’t come as a surprise. These two conferences account for 15 of the Top 25 spots, effectively turning the national rankings into a weekly preview of the Final Four.
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Final AP Top 10 Comparison (March 2026)
| Rank | School | Record | Conference |
| 1 | UConn | 34-0 | Big East |
| 2 | UCLA | 31-1 | Big Ten |
| 3 | Texas | 31-3 | SEC |
| 4 | South Carolina | 31-3 | SEC |
| 5 | LSU | 27-5 | SEC |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | 27-4 | SEC |
| 7 | Iowa | 26-6 | Big Ten |
| 8 | Duke | 24-8 | ACC |
| 9 | Michigan | 25-6 | Big Ten |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 24-7 | SEC |
Why is the “Number 1” spot so significant this year?
Industry insiders are noting that UConn’s perfect season isn’t just about talent—it’s about depth. Led by All-Americans Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, the Huskies have maintained a level of “observable dominance” that the committee cited as the tiebreaker over a nearly equally impressive UCLA squad.
AP Women’s Basketball Rankings reported by FOX Sports, the Top 25 saw minimal movement in its final week, with West Virginia making the only notable jump into the No. 11 spot, displacing Ohio State.
How to use these rankings for your bracket:
- Watch the SEC: With eight ranked teams, an SEC “upset” in the second round is statistically more likely than any other conference.
- Respect the “Others Receiving Votes”: Teams like Alabama and Fairfield are currently hovering just outside the Top 25 but are dangerous mid-major threats.
- Follow the Stars: The AP All-America teams feature many of the same names leading these Top 10 programs, proving that individual brilliance is driving these team rankings.
AP Women’s Basketball Rankings found that the gap between the Top 5 and the rest of the field is wider than in previous seasons. While the rankings provide a guide, the true test begins tonight as the First Four games tip off.
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